Green-fingered students help to create a haven for wildlife | Latest news

 

A hedge which will become a haven for birds, insects and mammals has been planted by the council’s parks team, with a helping hand from local students.

Created from 600 trees of 12 species, the hedge has been planted along the southern boundary of Langmeads Field recreation ground in East Preston.

Youngsters from Angmering School and East Preston Junior School rolled up their sleeves to lend a helping hand to plant the trees, 500 of which were provided by Arun District Council and a further 100 from The Conservation Volunteers’ Free Trees for All scheme with OVO Energy.  

The students were helped by Martyn Burkinshaw from the Council’s Parks team and volunteers from the Friends of Langmeads Field and Arun Biodiversity Forum, along with Councillor Terence Chapman, Arun District Council’s Cabinet Member for Environmental Services. 

Cllr Chapman said: “The hedge was planted because recent work to restore a ditch meant the existing hedgerow had to be removed. However, the new one is composed of many native species that will flower and provide berries at different times of the year, creating food and habitat for a variety of wildlife.

“The students from the local schools were fantastic. In spite of the cold weather, they were quick and eager to learn new skills in tree identification and planting. We would like to thank all the youngsters and volunteers involved in this project.”

The students were also taken on a tour of the site to look at some of the points of conservation interest within the park and to see what some of the tree species they had planted will look like when fully grown.

As well as the hedge, a number of oaks and sweet chestnuts were planted around the site to ensure that a new generation of trees is ready to replace older trees in the future.